The Portland daily press., 1887-01-18
MAINE soLoNs
Resume Legislative Work Late Yes
terday Afternoon.
Not Much Business Transacted in
Either House.
But the Members of Both Branches
Propose to Settle Down to Work.
A Bill to Allow the Right of Voting
by Proxy.
Important Matters to be Brought Up
for Action.
Notes About Matters in the Senate
and House.
Especial to the Press.

anu FrOQSCs
Especial to the Press.l
AUGUSTA, Jan. 1.-THE House and Sem
ate met this afternoon at 4.30 O'Clock. The
trains were somewhat late on account of the
storm, and many members were not present.
Not a great deal of business was done, ex-
cept to advance business on hand one stage.
Tomorrow it is expected that the business of
the week will open in earnest. Several
measures of interest will probably go in
under the call for bills and petitions. Mr..
Fogg of Portland will present the following
important resolution:
Resolved, Two-thirds of both branches of
the Legislature concurring, that the first
section of the second article of the constitu-
ton of the State shall be amended to read as
follows:
No discrimination on account of sex shall exist
in the State in the exercise of the electoral fran
chise. Every citizen, male or female, of the
United States, of the age OF 21 years and up
wards excepting paupers, persons under guardi-
anship, and Indians not taxed, having his or her
residence established in this State for the term of
three months next preceding any election, shall
be an elector for Governor, Senators and Repre-
senatives, in the town or plantation where his or
her residence is so established; and the election
shall be by written ballot. But persons in the
military, naval or marine service of the United
States, of this State, shall not be considered as
having obtained such established residence by
being stationed in any garrison, barrack or mil
the residence of student at any seminary of
learning entite him TO the right of suffrage In the
town or plantation where such seminary is estab-
lished. No person, however, shall be deemed to
have lost his residence by reason of his absence
from the State in the military service of the
United States, or of the State.
Another act. which will also be introduced
by Mr.. Fogg, is to give additional power to
the officers of the Temporary Home. Its
sections are as follows:
Sec. 1. The corporation formed and organized
under the provisions of the 55th chapter of the
Revised Statutes OF Maine, on the 9th day of
April, A. d. 1882, in Portland and known as the
Temporary Home for Women and Children"
which home is now in Deering, in the county of
Cumberland, and State of Maine, shall have the
power and authority, and said corporation there
fore is hereby authorized to have the care, con-
troll and custody of all persons received into said
home as inmates thereof under the present rules
and regulations of said corporation, or under such
rsles and regulations as may be adopted here
after The officers of said corporation are author
lied to put and place out at service any of the
children under their care and management at
such age as may be deemed advisable, with any
suitable master, person or mistress, and ON such
terms and conditions as may be deemed reaSOna-
bic until such child shall arrive at the age of IS
Power and authority is hereby conferred and
given TO said corporation to grant and allow any
child, being an inmate of said home. to be adopt
ed by any proper person petitioning therefor to
the Judge OF Probate OF the County OF Cumber-
land.
GERS of said home and the consent OF. one or
both of the parents, II possible also being OBJ
Ianee may upon tne neafing g oi the PettffonedT III
child, as are in accordance with the spirit and
intention of the provisions of chapter ca of The
home are to be regarded by the Judge as the par
ty entitled TO consent to such adoption and their
consent must be first obtained before the child is
Sec 2 provides that the person with whom the
child is bound out shall have certain control and
powers over it as may be SpecifSd in writing with
the officers Of the home.
Sec. allows to the person taking the child the
right in case the child run away, kthe powers OF
recovery granted by the Statutes of the State.
Railroad Legislation. -
The petition presented in the House today
by Mr.. Libby of Burnham, asking for the in
corporation of the Waldo & Somerset Rail-
road is INTENDED to secure authority for
road to run from the terminus of the Belfast
road at Burnham through Canaan, Cernville,
Athens, Solon, Bingham, thence to Moose
river to form junction with the Megantic or
International roads. Thus would be COM
pleted an outlet from the Canadian Pacific to
Belfast. The promoters of this scheme have
the promise of capitalist of Canaan OF
$4,000, and the several towns above men-
toned have unanimously voted to take stock
to the extent of the legal limit. Thus over
$1O0,000 is secured. 1t is claimed by the pro-
moters of the scheme that the Canadian Pa
ciic is friendly to this enterprise, and will
contribute. A gentleman who has just been
in the towns says that the people are enthu-
siastic and fully determined that the line
shall be built.
Taxation of Water Companies.
The bill which Mr.. Allen, of Alfred, intro
troduced last week in relation to the taxa
tion of water companies was laid on the
Senate table by Mr.. Wescott this afternoon
to be printed. Mr.. Allen says this was not
introduced as a complete or perfect measure
but only as basis for some just and effectual
plan OF taxing water companies by the State.
In its present form the bill is one that would
please neither the water companies nor the
towns in which the works are located. Many
water companies have secured exemptions
from town taxation for term of years, which
hand the towns would lose their right to tax
the works within their limits.
Prison Labor.
Among the petitions introduced tomorrow
morning, will be one by Mr.. Shaw, from
Charles j. Chapman and others of Portland,
asking for legislation to diminish the evils
of the competition of prison labor with free
lab0rers. The committee on labor have ap-
pointed Wednesday, Jan. Goth, for the hear
on the question OF prison labor. The hear
ing will be in the Senate Chamber, and will
undoubtedly be largely attended.
Notes.
1t is said that this Legislature viii not be
asked to authorize the consolidation of the
Pepperell and Laconia corporations of Bid
defOrd. The directors of the corporations
held meeting Saturday and decided not to
press the matter at present.
Mr.. G. II. Watkins, Of the firm of Brown
ThurSton d Co., is in Augusta to make the
offer of his firm for the State printing.
Mr.. Barker Of Bangor today presented
Hon. A. w. Baine's bill to establish voting
by proxy, and it has been referred to the ju-
dietary committee.
The selectmen of Newcastle and Noble
boro represent that public and private inter-
ests require that law be enacted prohibit
ing the taking of alewives in the waters of
the Damarisc0tta river, lying easterly of the
railroad bridge near Damariscotta Mills, and
northerly of line drawn east and west
south of "G5ose Rock" so called. They pc
ttion that the laws may be amended to give
this protection.
The judiciary committee report fought to
pass" on the act granting land in Eastport
to the United States
The people of Bremen peritioned for 103
inch lobster law, without any close time.
Herbert NJ. Heath, Esq, appeared before
the committee on legal affairs tonight to Sc
cure the granting Of the charter for the
Dover and Foxcroft Water company. The
committee voted to report favorably the bill
granting this charter; also bill granting
charter to the Dover and Foxcroft Light and
Heat company.
n 4bo Co.
preme Court whether the general law re-
ferred to in the Constitution is sufficient in
all its provisions to organize railroad corpor-
ations, and. if that is so, whether the Legis-
lature has power to grant charters to rail-
roads, has been printed, and was this after
noon referred to the committee on railroads.
A bill has been introduced to amend tho
charter of the Maine Mutual Benefit Asso-
citation so that mo part of the money realized
from the assessment made to pay death ben
efits shall be used for any other purposes